UPDATE ON AL-WATAN THREAT

S E C R E T KHARTOUM 000202 SIPDIS SIPDIS TERREP DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/DSS/ITA, AF/RSA, AND AF/SPG E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2017 TAGS: PTER PGOV ASEC SOCI UN SU SUBJECT: UPDATE ON AL-WATAN THREAT REF: KHARTOUM 00149 Classified By: P/E Chief E. Whitaker, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On February 7, an article in a local newspaper in Khartoum reported that a group of masked men visited Al-Watan, an independent Arabic daily newspaper, claiming that they were responsible for sending terrorist threats to both the UN and the U.S. diplomatic mission in Khartoum. One of the men claimed he was the coordinator general of the group and gave his name as Aba Baseer. The group stated it was being pursued by the authorities and was working underground in Darfur and other regions to "combat foreign intervention in Sudan." ¶2. (S) Post, through ORCA, has been aware of these threats for several months. Specifically, post is aware of two groups intent on possibly attacking the UN in Sudan. One group is led by a Sudanese extremist in Khartoum who in the past has expressed intentions to martyr himself. The second group is led by an extremist based in the Nyala area of South Darfur. Post does not have any specific information as to the exact targets or timing of either group's operations, though post believes the second group may be in the final stages of its planning. Post also believes both groups may have ties to Al-Qa'ida leaders in Pakistan. ¶3. (C) The recent UN announcement about a possible threat to its facilities is based on information obtained directly by the UN. Embassy Khartoum issued a warden message on February 1 regarding these threats as a result of the UN announcement. ¶4. (S) ORCA is working with its Sudanese counterparts to identify these groups, their plans, and their intentions. HUME